Paula Broadwell leaves her home in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 19: The New York Daily News reports that Broadwell's emails to Florida socialite Jill Kelley were more "menacing" than previously believed. REUTERS/Davis Turner

November 20, 2012

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David Petraeus' extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell, which led to his resignation from the CIA, was discovered when a Florida woman, Jill Kelley, reported to the FBI that she was receiving "harassing" emails from an anonymous sender. It turned out that the emails came from Broadwell, who reportedly suspected that Kelley, a socialite with ties to the military community near Tampa, was a rival for Petraeus' affections. The emails have previously been described (in a rather sexist manner) as merely "catfight stuff," leading many to wonder why the FBI got involved to begin with. However, Broadwell's emails were actually far more "menacing," says the New York Daily News:

The menacing emails sent by David Petraeus’ ex-mistress to a Florida socialite promised to make the apparent rival “go away” and boasted of her friends in high places, the Daily News has learned.

The notes Paula Broadwell sent to Jill Kelley were far more sinister than previously reported and seemed like the rantings of someone “clearly unhinged,” a close friend of Kelley told The News Monday.

“This wasn’t just a catfight. Any normal person who got emails like that would have immediately called the police,” said the friend.

The Daily News reports that Kelley saw the emails, particularly one that promised to "make you go away," as "death threats."

Broadwell has yet to publicly speak about the Petraeus affair. She recently hired a high-profile public relations group to represent her, suggesting that her side of the story may come out soon.